1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to installation of building insulation material and more particularly but not by way of limitation to a method and means for clamping the edge of roof insulation material in metal buildings to the eave strut in a way to prevent exposure thereof to rain and moisture.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
In the construction of metal buildings, strip insulation is normally provided between the purlins and the roof sheet, the outer ends or edges of said insulation being attached to the top of the eave strut.
The insulation is normally of a type having spun fiberglass material in a sheet which is faced on one side with a vinyl foil material glued thereto for purposes of providing a vapor barrier.
Upon construction of metal buildings the insulation is pulled over the purlins with the vapor barrier down or facing the interior of the building. The ends or edge of the insulation is then attached to the top surface of an eave strut. The recommended correct way to attach to the eave strut is to fold back the edge of the insulation with vapor barrier outside and then using rivets, screws or the like, to attach the folded edge to the top of the eave strut. This prevents the fiber portion of the insulation from being exposed to the weather between the eave strut and the roof sheet.
However, in practice, it has been found that due to constant time pressure for completion of said buildings and the low degree of skilled labor used, the edge of the insulation is usually left unfolded and exposed to the weather between the eave strut and the roof sheet. During rain, snow or wet weather, water or moisture is wicked back along the insulation fiber and there accumulates until the insulation starts sagging.
At this point the user of the building does not know whether there is a leak in the roof or wicking has occurred. Often much time and labor is expended fruitlessly searching for a roof leak that doesn't exist.
The present invention is particularly designed and constructed to overcome the above disadvantages and prevent moisture accumulation due to wicking as hereinbefore described. Since the eave struts in most metal buildings have a cross-sectional C-shape with the open face thereof directed inwardly, applicant has found that the insulation edge may be inserted into this open face of the eave strut below the top surface thereof, instead of on the top of the eave strut as hereinbefore set forth.
In applicant's copending application Ser. No. 499,445, filed Aug. 22, 1974, a substantially U-shaped insulation clip comprising an elongated flexible metal strip bent at each end was used to clamp the insulation in place inside the C-shaped eave strut. The insulation clip was bent into a substantially C-shaped configuration and inserted into the eave strut below the insulation edge. Upon releasing the clip it would tend to spring open thereby firmly clamping the edge of the insulation between the upper end of the clip and the inside surface of the eave strut. The roof sheet was then installed on top of the eave strut and sealed to prevent moisture from entering through the area between the roof sheet and the eave strut.
This installation served not only to prevent moisture accumulation but represented a significant savings in labor due to the ease of installation as opposed to installation by the fold back and rivet method hereinbefore described.
Although the clip member method worked satisfactorily, there tended to be sags in the insulation between clips which detracted from the overall appearance of the job.
The present invention, however, overcomes this difficulty by providing an elongated bar having a cross-sectional Z-shape whereby one side of the bar conforms to the shape of the upper lip of the eave strut and where the insulation edge may be gripped between the elongated bar and the inside surface of the eave strut. The opposite side of the bar is shaped to conform to the one end of the insulation clips so that the insulation clips may be inserted within the inside surface of the eave strut, thereby pressing against the Z-shaped bar for holding the Z-shaped bar in place. The bar in turn holds the edge of the insulation firmly against the inside surface of the eave strut. This provides uniform support for the insulation edge, prevents leaking and is less likely to cause damage to the insulation material than the use of clips alone since the clip does not come into pressing contact with the insulation material.